IT ISN’T PERSONAL, IT’S BUSINESS: FAVORITE TEAMS CAN TAKE A BACK SEAT TO FANTASY ONES

My favorite teams sometimes take a back seat to the ones I draft myself. That’s the reality of fantasy sports.

I assume I’m preaching to the choir, considering the Padres are on pace to lose 109 games. Unless you picked up Dale Thayer after Huston Street made his annual migration to the disabled list, and basked in his five consecutive saves, what reasons did you have to follow the team in May?

Are you excited about Carlos Quentin’s long-term prospects as a Padre or more concerned with him being a place-setter for your fantasy squad, because National League MVP Matt Kemp’s hammy doesn’t want to cooperate? Or you learned Thursday morning Baltimore Orioles outfielder Nick Markakis will miss about a month with a broken right hamate bone. Quentin would make a fine short-term replacement for both.

Some sports fans, especially those who don’t partake in fantasy sports — they still make that model — would consider my lead sacrilegious. They would argue a fantasy team is make-believe. It’s akin to planning activities with an imaginary friend over actual friends.

Trust me, it’s not personal, it’s business. As many athletes, coaches and owners are quick to remind us these days about their chosen profession. Our games have been replaced with businesses.

That’s fine, we started our own game anyway.

My favorite teams will always take precedence in my heart, but those sentimental notions don’t play well in my mind anymore.

The sports fans who consider this sacrilege are using an outdated way of thinking.

Such as owning a land-line telephone even though everyone in your household has a cellphone. Driving a gas guzzling SUV. Or believing CBS’ critical smash “How I Met Your Mother” will ever actually tell us how Ted Mosby met the future mother of his children. I don’t know how he met their mother, but I know his kids have some serious therapy bills in their future from having to listen to this seven-year-long (and counting) explanation. The poet Homer could have wrapped this up long ago, but I digress.

See, you don’t have to deal with ownership issues with your fantasy team. You call the shots. If you don’t appreciate the makeup of the team, you’re the architect, you make changes.

There’s only three times my favorite teams come first anymore: 1. A game involving championship ramifications; 2. A major rivalry game; 3. A wager is at stake.

I had season tickets to my beloved San Francisco 49ers before I moved to America’s Finest City four years ago. It was a big deal. I felt a little like a shareholder, like I had equity in a team I had loved since I was barely walking. It was special.

Funny thing is, I don’t remember receiving a dividend. My fantasy teams pay off if I play them right.

The fact is, if your favorite team has a couple of bad-luck injuries or is just a perennial loser, the season can be taxing as a fan. Many of us deal with it by putting together our own teams with silly/crude names, and chasing our own title for some bragging rights among our peers, or possibly some extra cash in our pockets.

Having players on multiple teams allows fans to engage in players and teams outside of their hometown. This makes us more knowledgeable as a fan base. A more informed populace means an end to outdated ways of thinking, eventually.

Besides, it’s also been great for the businesses. The rise and prevalence of fantasy sports games mirrors the rise in sports television ratings and contract values. We certainly haven’t tuned in more frequently because we enjoy three-to-four hourlong baseball games, horribly officiated NBA games or new rules that make the NFL harder and harder to recognize.